The adoption of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and the like, continues at a rapid pace. As the deployment of electric vehicles increases, the charging infrastructure must be adapted to meet demand Conventional electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) units are categorized as either Level 1 or Level 2. Level 1 EVSE units provide a 120 Volt (V) single phase outlet with a peak current of about 16 Amps (A). Alternatively, Level 2 EVSE units provide a 240 V split phase outlet with a peak current of up to about 80 A, and which provides a faster charge. But the physical charging components of the Level 2 EVSE unit are only compatible with a narrow subset of electric vehicles. Electric vehicle owners are forced to choose between a faster charging, but less versatile Level 2 unit, or slower charging but more versatile Level 1 unit. Moreover, neither category of EVSE units provides significant intelligent charging capabilities.
Accordingly, a need remains for improved methods and systems for efficiently and intelligently distributing energy to electric vehicles and non-electric vehicle devices. Embodiments of the invention address these and other limitations in the prior art.
The foregoing and other features of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.